I recently attended the annual Chicago Luxury Ice Cream Festival, where I found myself among some of the most colorful and delectable creamy wonders on the North side.  Local creameries displayed their finest in the hopes of impressing ice cream lovers and gelato-holics alike.

In a crowd of eleven different creameries, two really stuck out.  The first was a vendor called Via Gelato and Café.  If you can imagine the bold flavor of kiwi, imagine even more the incredible green color that emanated from the delectable sweet. No additive colors were used to make the gelato. The color is the result of natures brilliance at its sweetest.

And Nice Cream – what a wickedly evil delight! Nice Cream is a seasonal ice cream shop which uses local and organic products to make flavors such as strawberry with angel food cake, vanilla bean with blueberry pie, chocolate with sweet basil and mango sorbet with chili powder and lime. Combine a wave of brightly colored crèmes packaged in equally appealing containers and color conscious admirers find themselves to be the proverbial moth drawn to the irresistible, epicurean flame.

The standards were high and at the end of the evening, this full time color enthusiast (and devout ice cream indulger) was left content in her compulsion.  The orange-peach champagne sorbet was orange at its best.  The bright yellow ice cream was the perfect pineapple.  I looked at the myriad of colors — the browns and oranges and pinks –and realized I could do nothing but enjoy it for all its splendor. Its sweet, bright and delicious splendor.

On Saturdays I treat myself to a latte and pan au chocolat. While the barista with the thick French accent prepares the coffee I always stare at the trays of macaroons. Authentic macaroons in delightful flavors and the most GORGEOUS colors.

Some are finished with a dusting of gold flecks. How decadent! I imagine them being served on polished silver trays in the parlors of Versailles and have enjoyed them at my studio apartment on mismatched china with friends.

I would love to see a room decorated in this palette, how warm and inviting would that be? Also a dream bag would be buttery soft suede, striped in all the hues. Tres bien, no?

To read about the flavors of these delights check out Manger La Villel’s post.

image of Madeline pop up book from Amazon

image from Marie Antoinette from IMBD.com

room image from Domino

Yet once I began my daily, private tea ceremony this year I realized my kettle’s whistle is broken (dangerous for a distracted blogger!), my tea pot has a broken lid (the directions on my yerba mate distinctly state the tea needs to be covered for optimum effect) and my cups are a mismash of un- ladylike manner.

So I set out to find some new fancy replacements and discovered a world of white surreal-like pieces that are so inspiring…. I’m ready to ’share the good energy’ and throw a real shin dig of an all white themed high tea!

The 'One Lump or Two' lamp $198 from Anthropologie would light up the room and set the stage for my festive tea.

The Budda tea pot from ShopHorne.com would I'm sure add his own good vibes to the party as he steeped the tea!

This Camomile Camel Teapot $24 from Anthropolgie would delight a double look, while Horne's Alada Winged tea cup and saucer $105 for two would be sure to bring an ethereal smile to all.

Love the faux-bois and honeycomb texture of these Woodland Vases from West Elm $9-$59, perfect for displaying lemons and winter branches on my tea table!

Alice and Wonderland came to mind as I spied these two tabletop gems! Milky Major and Sugary Soldier Set $370 , also from ShopHorne.com

I'm not sure if I could find these to purchase but when I spied these tea bag holder dudes from some hip cafe in Istanbul on Design Sponge.com, I figure they would be fun to replicate.

Okay, Master Yerba Mate- I’m good to go…. work your magic!!!!!

Shopping Inspirations from:

Design Sponge.com

Antropologie.com

ShopHorne.com

West Elm.com

Lately there has been a crispness in the evening that reminds us summer is nearing an end, but the peaches are still plentiful.

Yesterday, after a very juicy bite, I was looking at the fruit’s gorgeous hue. The blush is somewhat yellow, a touch of gold, lots of pink and maybe some orange?? Really a hard color combination to describe!!

It reminded me of one of my favorite semi-precious stones, Imperial Topaz.

Clearly Mother Nature used peach’s palette for other beautiful things.

Imperial topaz is the rarest of all topaz. Discovered in Brazil, it was named after the monarchs who admired it’s golden-sherry hues.

This stone mixed with 18k gold is gorgeous. Flattering for all skin tones, it gives warmth and a rich luminosity. The saying ‘blushing bride’ can take on a modern twist by using this unique stone as an accent piece in bridal jewelry. It’s soft pink color mixes perfectly with the creamy glow of pearls.

These are two pieces I made using the luscious topaz.

If imperial topaz is not on your shopping list this week at least indulge in a few peaches and try this simple recipe.

Peach Cubes
Combine 4 pitted peaches and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice in blender; puree. Pour into ice cube trays; freeze. Use in smoothies or cold drinks. Be creative.

My favorite is to plunk one cube into a chilled glass of Prosecco for a refreshing Bellini.

How nice does this sound? Putting on some imperial topaz jewelry, then sipping a Bellini while admiring those last golden sunsets of summer.

Sounds peachy keen to me!!!

Sources:

Rough cut gemstone from Crystal Cure

Three variations of the gem from The Collector Fine Jewelry

Fresh, colorful food is full of vitamins. Eating delicious, pesticide free food is what life is all about. A juicy peach picked that morning is what a peach should taste like.

Eating locally grown food is nothing new. A hundred years ago 95% of Americans lived on farms. Food from nearby farms brought in by horse and cart was how city dwellers survived. In the 1800’s Brooklyn was an expanse of farm land – the highest producing county in America. By the 20th century the farms moved west. By the 1970’s New Yorkers complained of brown lettuce and hard tomatoes while local farms went bankrupt. In 1976 on an empty lot, twelve farmers started the first farmers market. Now NYC has the most thriving network of green markets the country has to offer.

Find your local farmers market. Make a point to meet the farmers and ask questions about the food. They will always have a great tip for you or recipe.

Here are some pictures from one of my recent trips to the market

Peach- Tomato Salsa Recipe

Ingredients: 3 Firm Peaches, 1 Tablespoon of Lemon Juice, 2 Ripe Tomatoes, 6 Scallions, 2 Jalapenos, Small handful Chopped Cilantro [optional], 3/4 Cup Olive Oil, 1/4 cup Sherry Vinegar, 2 Tablespoons Honey

Cut peaches in cubes. Chop Scallion and Jalapeno into small dice. Coarsely chop Cilantro and mix all above in bowl.

Blend lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar and honey with salt and pepper. Add to bowl and mix well.

Let stand for 20 mins. Delicious with tortilla chips, even better on grilled fish.

Choose golden YELLOW chunks of pineapple, ruby RED strawberries and BLUE berries for the primary colors. Add sunny ORANGE mandarin sections, PURPLE grapes and bright GREEN slices of kiwi to represent the secondary colors.

Voila! A beautiful, light dessert.

Fruit:1 pineapple, cored and cut into chunks

2 pints of strawberries, cut into quarters

2 pints blueberries, rinsed

24 oz. mandarin orange sections, drained1 small bunch of seedless grapes, stemmed

4 kiwi, peeled and sliced

Arrange the cut fruit in wedges around the bowl of dipping sauce onto a platter. (a lazy susan works nicely) Nestle tooth picks between the sauce and fruit.

For a refreshing summer presentation: Stir together 12 oz. lemon yogurt, 1 tsp. reserved mandarin orange syrup, and 1 tsp. poppy seeds, until well blended. Garnish with fresh mint leaves.

For a cozy winter presentation: Serve warmed Nutella dusted with cinnamon as the dipping sauce. Garnish using dark squares of chocolate to separate the wedges of fruit.

A cook’s favorite spring green? Tarragon.

Its fresh green color and delicate leaves are the essence of spring. It conjures up tender young shoots pushing up through the earth. Since spring is a time of renewal, why not consider sprucing up your nest with a coat of green paint? Tarragon’s soft green is a great start for any color scheme.

Consider Benjamin Moore’s ‘Liberty Park’ or ‘Shades of Spring’. They are neutral back drops for every color on the wheel, from pastels to brights, as all of spring’s blossoms will attest.

The light licorice flavor has just enough bite to chase away winter’s last chill. Tarragon Chicken is a delicious way to use this herb:

Tarragon Chicken

Preparation – 10 minutes Marinate – 2 hours Cook – 20 minutes

1 tbsp. olive oil
½ sweet white onion
¼ cup fresh tarragon leaves (or 2 tsp. dried)
1 tsp. kosher salt
6 limes (or ½ cup bottled key lime juice)
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Lightly grease a 9 x 12, oven-proof, baking dish with 1 tbsp. olive oil.

Coarsely chop ½ of a sweet white onion.

Cut fresh tarragon into slivers to loosely fill a ¼ cup.

Toss chopped onion and slivered tarragon leaves with 1 tsp. kosher salt, in greased baking dish.

Squeeze the juice from 6 limes into a separate bowl.

Pour lime juice over the onions and tarragon making sure to strain out any seeds.

Add 1 tbsp. olive oil and stir.

Submerge the 6 chicken breasts in the lime juice mixture.

Cover the dish and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Set the oven to 500 degrees.

Remove the chicken from the refrigerator.

Let stand for 5 minutes while the oven warms up and the oven-proof dish comes up to room temperature.

Bake chicken, in marinade, for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes the chicken will be tender and the marinade will have thickened slightly to form a fragrant, flavorful sauce. I like to serve Tarragon Chicken on a bed of brown rice to absorb the tangy sauce spooned over the top. A crisp salad or steamed green vegetable rounds out this simple, yet elegant meal.

What dish signifies spring to you?

Caron Golden shares quick tips and introduces us to colorful cooking expert Jeanne Jones in her latest article…

Read ‘Eating the Color Wheel’…

Caron shares my love of gourmet food, cooking and of course, color! I knew I had found a kindred spirit when Caron started talking about how color serves as both an inspiration and visual gauge for her when preparing a meal.

In ‘How green is your bean? Or, how color teaches us how to cook‘, Caron reminds us that when it comes to cooking it’s all in the timing and shows us how color can be our guide to perfectly prepared meals.

Ready to find out how you can use color when cooking? Great, click here to go to Caron’s article…

Resources:

• Visit Caron’s site San Diego Foodstuff
• Listen to Caron online on “Gourmet Club” on Fridays at 1 p.m. Pacific (or podcast the show) at signonradio.com.

I knew that abalone is one of the most sought-after sea ingredients in Chinese cuisine, but didn’t know that it is judged by its color – until today.

According to Michael Au Kam Wo, the award-winning chef who has spent almost a lifetime researching this mollusk, “Fresh abalone is graded according to the color.”

“The best is the green-lip abalone from Australia, followed by the yellow-lip and then the black lip. The color comes from the seaweed that the abalone feeds on.”

“And green seaweed is found in clear, unpolluted waters, so naturally, the abalone is also of better quality.”

But, having said that, Au maintains that he is dedicating his life’s work to creating cooking methods that will make cheaper abalone taste as good as the expensive stuff.

Are you a fan of this tasty mollusk ?

More on abalone at GoodBites.com